Rail bending and straightening machine.



PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

No. 845,131. I G. H. SHERBURNEL- RAIL BENDING AND STRAIGHTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DB(I.29,1906.

Inverztor: r %t%% I W witnesses: 2J6? NTTED STATES ATENT FFTQE.

CHARLES H. SHEBBUBNE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAH. SENDING AND STRAIGHTENING MACHINE.

CON/0677b. I, CHARLns H. SHER- To all whom it may Be it known thatBURNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Rail Bending and Straightening Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for bending and straightening rails,girders, and the like, the object of the invention being to provide aportable machine which can be readily attached to a rail or girder andoperated by hand to bend or straighten said rail or girder.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification, and particularly pointed out inthe claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvedrail-bending and straightening machine, showing the same attached to arail, the handle being broken away to save space in the drawings. Fig. 2is a sectional elevation taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anenlarged sectional elevation through the nut-sleeve, taken on line 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1 lookingtoward the right in said figure. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detailtaken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In the drawings, chine, consisting of together by cross braces 10 11,the side pieces 9 9 terminating in hooks 12 13, adapted to engage therail 14 upon one side thereof.

The slide 15 consists of two rods 16 17, preferably rectangular incross-section, joined together by a nut-sleeve 18, having right and lefthand threads formed in the interior thereof to engage the right and lefthand screw-threads 19 and 20 formed upon the rods 17 and 16,respectively. The rods 16 and 17, forming a part of theslide 15, areadapted to slide in the braces 10 and 11, respectively, of the frame 8.The rod 17 is connected by eccentric-rods 21 21 to eccentrics 22, formedupon opposite sides, respectively, of a rocker-arm 23, pivoted to rockupon a shaft 24, which extends through said rocker-arm and is fastenedto the opposite sides 9 9 of the frame 8. A handle 25 is fas-Specification of Letters Patent.

29,1906. Serial No, 349,936.

8 is the frame of the ma- 1 side pieces 9 9, fastened Patented Feb. 26,1907.

tened to and extends upwardly from the rocker-arm 23.

The sleeve-nut 18 has a ratchet-gear 26 fast thereto, said ratchet-gearbeing in an annular space 27 between two rings 28 28, connected togetherby a cross bar 29. The rings 28 28 and cross-bar 29 constituteapawlcarrier 30. A pawl 31 is pivoted at 32 to said pawl-carrier. Saidpawl is a doubleended or reversible pawl, the end 33 adapted to engagethe ratchet-gear 26 at one side of the pivot 32 and the end 34 beingadapted to engage said gear upon the opposite side of said pivot. Thepawl 31 is held yieldingly in engagement with the teeth of the ratchetgear 26 by a pin 35, Fig. 6. The pin 35 is adapted to slide in a recess36, formed in a screw 37, having screw-threaded engagement with one sideof the crossbar 29. The end of the pin which engages the pawl is pointedto enter either one of the recesses 38 39.

When the pawl is in the position illustrated in Fig. 4, with the end 33in engagement with the ratchetteeth, the pin 35 enters the recess 38.When the pawl is tipped toward the right, Fig. 4, until the end 34thereof engages the teeth of the ratchet, then the pin I 35 enters therecess 39. Said pin can, however, yield slightly enough to allow the endof the pawl which is engagement with the teeth to snap over said teethwithout the pin becoming disengaged from the recess 111 which it is atthat time located.

The pawl-carrier 30 has a pivot 40 fast thereto and extendingtransversely of the sleeve-nut 18, and upon this pivot is mountl ed ahandle 41, by means of which the pawl- I carrier can be rocked upon thenut and the pawl moved to engagement with different teeth of the ratchet26, as hereinafter described. TVhen not in use, the handle 41 may betipped upon the pivot 40 over longitudinally of the nut 18 and held inposition thereagainst by suitable means, such as a strap 42 and buckle43, said strap being fastened to the sleeve-nut 18. It is preferl ablein using the device hereinbefore specif ically described to place ametal block 44 between the rail 14 and the rod 16.

The general operation of the device hereinbefore specifically describedis as follows: The hooks 12 13 are placed against the rail, asillustrated in Fig. 2, and the frame dropped l to a substantiallyhorizontal position. The

sleeve-nut 18 is then rotated to increase or diminish the length of theslide 15 as a whole, and thus bring the outer end of the rod 16 nearerto or farther away from the rail. The nut 18 is rotated by means of thehandle 41, which is rocked b together with the pawl-carrier 30, to whichit is attached, thus moving the pawl 31 over the periphery of theratchet 26. The pawl carrier rocks upon the sleeve 18 and is preventedfrom moving longitudinally thereof by the ratchet-gear 26, which isdriven onto the periphery of said nut or fastened securely thereto inany desirable manner. If it is desired to rotate the nut toward the leftas viewed in Fig. 4, the pawl 31 is tipped to the position shown in saidfigure. If it is desired to rotate said nut in the opposite direction,the pawl is tipped until the end 34 engages the teeth of the ratchet. Ablock of iron 44 is placed between the end of the rod 16 and the rail14, and after the hooks 12 13 and the block 44 have been firmly broughtto bearagainst the rail when the handle 25 has been raised to a positionof about forty-five degrees, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the rail is thenbent by depressing said handle, thus rotating the eccentrics 22 andforcing the eccentricrods 21 21 toward the left, Figs. 1. and 2, thusmoving the slide 15 toward the left, the rods 16 and 17 sliding in thecross-braces 10 and 11, respectively, and forcing the block 44 againstthe rail 14 between the hooks or jaws 12 13, thus bending the rail toany curve desired, or if the same is bent and it is desired tostraighten it said rail may be thus bent until it becomes straight.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire by LettersPatent to secure, is

1. A rail-bender comprising in its construction a frame, two hooks fastto said frame adapted to engage one side of said rail, a slide adaptedto be moved toward and away from the opposite side of said rail, andmechanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said slide, said slideembodying in its construction a nut, a ratchet fast to said nut, apawl-carrier rotatable upon said nut and a pawl pivoted to said carrierand adapted to engage said ratchet whereby the length of said slide maybe varied.

2. A rail-bender comprising in its construe tion a frame, two hooks fastto said frame adapted to engage one side of said rail, a slide adaptedto be moved toward and away from the opposite side of said rail, andanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said slide, said slideembodying in its construction a nut, a ratchet fast to said nut, apawl-carrier rotatable upon said nut, a pawl pivoted to said carrier andadapted to engage said ratchet, whereby the length of said slide may bevaried, and a handle pivoted to said pawl-carrier.

ackwardly and forwardly,

mech- I 3. Arail-bender comprising in its construction a frame, twohooks fast to said frame adapted to engage one side of said rail, a fslide adapted to be moved toward and away T from the opposite side ofsaid rail, and mechanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to j saidslide, said slide embodying in its construction a nut, a ratchet fast tosaid nut, a j pawl-carrier rotatable upon said nut, a pawl pivoted tosaid carrier and adapted to engage said ratchet, whereby the length ofsaid slide may be varied, a pivot fast to said pawlcarrier extendingtransversely of said nut, and a handle mounted upon said pivot. r 4.Arail-bender comprising inits construction a frame, two hooks fast tosaid frame adapted to engage one side of said rail, a slide adapted tobe moved toward and away from the opposite side of said rail, and mech-I anism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said slide, said slideembodying inits construction a nut, a ratchet fast to said nut, apawl-carrier rotatable upon said nut, a pawl pivoted to said carrier andadapted to engage said ratchet, whereby the length of said slide may bevaried, a pivot fast to said pawlcarrier extending transversely of saidnut and a handle mounted upon said pivot, whereby said carrier may berocked upon said nut and'said handle may be tipped over longitudinallyof said nut, and means to fas ten said handle to said nut.

5. A railbender comprising in its construction a frame, two hooks fastto said frame adapted to engage one side of said rail, a slide adaptedto be moved toward and away 5 from the opposite side of said rail, andmechanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said-slide, said slideembodying in its construction a nut, a pawl-carrier rotatable upon saidnut and consisting of two rings separated one from the other by anannular space, said rings connected together by a j cross-bar, a ratchetfast to said nut and loy cated in said annular space, and a pawl pivioted to said cross-bar and adapted to engage said ratchet, whereby thelength of said slide may be varied.

6. A rail-bender comprising in its construction a frame, two hooks fastto said frame and adapted to engage one side of said rail, a slideadapted to be moved toward and away from the opposite side of said rail,and mechanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said slide, said slideembodying in its construction a nut, a ratchet fast to said nut, a

pawl-carrier rotatable upon said nut, and a reversible pawl pivoted tosaid carrier and adapted to engage said ratchet upon opposite sides ofthe pivot of said pawl, whereby the length of said slide may beincreased or diminished.

. 7. A rail-bender comprising in its construction a frame, two hooksfast to said frame and adapted to engage one side of said rail, a

yieldingly in engagement with said ratchet upon opposite sides,respectively, of the pivot of said pawl, whereby the length of saidslide may be increased or diminished.

slide adapted to be moved toward and away from the opposite side of saidrail, and mechanism to impart a reciprocatory motion to said slide, saidslide embodying in its construction a nut, a ratchet fast to said nut, aIn testimony whereof I have hereunto set pawl-carrier rotatable uponsaid nut, a remy hand in presence of two subscribing witversible pawlpivoted to said carrier and nesses.

adapted to engage said ratchet upon oppo- CHARLES H. SHERBURNE. sitesides of the pivot of said pawl, whereby Witnesses:

the length of said slide may be increased or CHARLES S. GOODING,

diminished, and means to hold said pawl 1 ANNIE J. DAILEY.

